JULY. 



667 



JULY. 



they may have been grown ; but as many 

 are so minute, and so like the colour of the 

 soil that, without great precaution, some 

 may be overlooked, the best way is to put 

 soil and roots together in a fine wire sieve, 

 and by holding it under a tap, or pumping 

 into it, the soil will be washed away and 

 the roots left ; they must then be placed in 

 the sun for an hour, and afterwards removed 

 to an airy shady place to dry gradually. 

 The large roots of named varieties must be 

 taken up at once, if not already done ; for 

 should they start again, which they are 

 very apt to do previous to their removal, 

 their death is inevitable. 



Reserve Garden. Where a nursery or 

 reserve garden exists for supplying the 

 more common kinds of plants, the pro- 

 pagation of various things can now be 

 proceeded with. Keep the smaller and 

 seedling plants free from weeds, and lose 

 no time in sowing perennial and biennial 

 flower seeds for blooming next season. 



Roses, Autumnal. Autumn-flowering 

 roses now require a liberal supply of liquid 

 manure ; guano sown on the ground, and 

 thoroughly soaked with rain water, will 

 serve the purpose. Remove faded flowers 

 and seed capsules every morning; plants 

 which have flowered in pots, keep growing 

 freely, as the future bloom depends on 

 their vigorous growth at this season. 



Roses, Budding and Cutting Back. 

 Budding should now be in full operation, 

 watering the roots and plants freely in dry 

 weather, both before and after budding. 

 Cut back perpetual blooming roses, and 

 water them with the richest manure water 

 to encourage a second growth and bloom. 



Roses, Climbing. Climbing roses should 

 now be pushing out strong shoots from the 

 roots and main stem ; if not required for 

 future training, these should be taken off 

 entirely, or have their tops pinched off a 

 foot or so from the stem. 



Roses, Cuttings of, &c. Cuttings may 



likewise be put in of tea and China roses, 

 selecting wood of the present year when it 

 becomes a little firm at the base. 



Tulips. Take up tulips whenever the 

 weather will permit. When lifted, do not 

 separate the offsets from the parent bulb, 

 or remove the roots or skin ; these had 

 better remain till a later period. When 

 lifted, ridge up the soil of the beds for 

 exposure to the air. In taking up seed- 

 lings, great care must be used, as their 

 bulbs will often strike down from 4 to 6 

 inches. If possible, keep the stock of each 

 separate ; this will save an immense deal 

 of trouble hereafter. 



July. Fruit Garden and Or- 

 chard, Work in. 



Apricots, Cherries, Figs, and Plums. 

 All trees on walls should be carefully 

 looked over, and all shoots that are not 

 really useful, or any that are ill placed or 

 cannot be properly nailed in, should be 

 removed. It is important to do this in 

 time, because, if neglected till the fruit 

 begins to ripen, the real advantage of 

 doing it is lost ; and it is necessary to be 

 long sighted, and have an eye to future 

 crops as well as the present one; and if 

 they are not nailed in, the disbudding 

 ought in no case to be deferred. Figs, 

 especially, are apt to make strong super- 

 fluous wood, the leaves of which throw a 

 dense shade over the fruit, while the heat 

 of the sun is so necessary to its ripening. 



Caterpillars on Gooseberries, &c. Cater- 

 pillars are often abundant on gooseberry 

 and currant bushes, and various ways are 

 propounded for destroying them ; as 

 spreading old tan under the bushes, and, 

 at a certain time, burning it to destroy 

 the larvae. Some use no other means but 

 picking them off, or shaking them on to 

 a cloth or sheet, and by this means they 

 have been freed from them, while others 

 have had the foliage of their bushes com- 



